Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 22, 2026

Treating Surfaces with a Cold Atmospheric Pressure Plasma using the COST-Jet
Published on: November 2, 2020
Water-Mediated Surface Diffusion Mechanism Enables the Cold Sintering Process: A Combined Computational and
Mert Y Sengul1, Jing Guo1,2, Clive A Randall1
1Materials Research Institute, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA.
Abstract:
The cold sintering process (CSP) densifies ceramics at much lower temperatures than conventional sintering processes. Several ceramics and composite systems have been successfully densified under cold sintering. For the grain growth kinetics of zinc oxide, reduced activation energies are shown, and yet the mechanism behind this growth is unknown. Herein, we investigate these mechanisms in more detail with experiments and ReaxFF molecular dynamics simulations. We investigated the recrystallization of zinc cations under various acidic conditions and found that their adsorption to the surface can be a rate-limiting factor for cold sintering. Our studies show that surface hydroxylation in CSP does not inhibit crystallization; in contrast, by creating a surface complex, it creates an orders of magnitude acceleration in surface diffusion, and in turn, accelerates recrystallization.
Related Concept Videos
Diffusion
Diffusion
Responses to Heat and Cold Stress
Imaging Studies III: Computed Tomography
Water and Mineral Acquisition
Drug Absorption Mechanism: Carrier-Mediated Membrane Transport
Facilitated diffusion is a passive process that utilizes human Solute Carrier (SLC) transporters. These transporters bind to the drug, undergo structural...

